2014 Draft Profile - Adreian Payne

Strengths: Payne is the type of power forward that most teams are looking for in this day and age of the NBA. He is tall and strong enough to bang with guys on the block, and has a soft shooting touch that extends to the three-point line.

While his biggest draw is his shooting range for his size, he is also skilled in the post and has a number of different post moves to turn to. His outstanding athleticism also allows him to elevate over defenders and finish at the rim with authority.

Playing four years at Michigan St. under Tom Izzo, you know that Payne has learned to play the game the right way, and is an excellent teammate. He has also shown the ability to add to his game, improving greatly from his first year to his senior season.

He is stronger than he looks and has filled out his body nicely over time. He gives teams a number of options on the pick-and-roll because of his ability to pop out and hit the jumper or explode to the basket for a huge finish. He has also shown himself to be a very solid rebounder at his position.

Weaknesses: His strength and athleticism has failed to translate to the defensive side of the ball. He has poor timing and doesn’t quite understand positioning on the defensive side of the ball, leading to far fewer blocks than you would expect from someone with his physical gifts.

Offensively, he is not a playmaker in any way. He can make a few passes, but is best when he is spotting up or making a post move. He is not a hub that you can run your offense through like Joakim Noah or Marc Gasol.

Payne also reportedly has a reduced lung capacity, which can limit the amount of minutes that he can play. Assuming he is simply a role player, it shouldn’t be a problem, but if he may be unable to play more than 30 minutes a game.

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